Winter
by HannahSakura2010
Summary: 90 years after Bolsheviks murdered the Braginski family, Chun Yan searches for her ancestor lost in the bloody struggle. A curse hangs over the memory of those involved in the massacre. Will she get caught up in it? Inspired by the Mummy movies. Warning: character death (and resurrection) and gore, with sexual situations later. RoChu and IggyChu
1. Chapter 1

**February 1918***

The sun was setting in a brilliant display of pinks and oranges, mixed with swathes of blood red and royal purple towards the horizon. Ivan stood at the window, observing the dazzling display, feeling the sharp winter wind break against his skin like waves of ice. The sun gave no heat, only blinding light that stung his eyes like knives. He closed his eyes and reveled in the feel of winter all around him. The crisp, cold air kept him alert and alive with its frigid fingers.

The screams began soon after, wrenching his eyes open. Turning so that the sun was at his back, he walked back into his room from the balcony and stood by his bed. The door slammed open.

"My lord, they've come for us," a servant said hurriedly. "We must get you and your sisters to safety."

Ivan cast a glance towards the bloody sunset. "How did they find us?" he murmured, his voice unconcerned. "Our connection to the Romanov house is distant."

"One of the royal family might've told them of us to save themselves, my lord," the servant responded. He held out a hand and gestured earnestly. "We must flee. Your sisters are already on their way to the tunnels."

"Where is Yao?" Ivan asked, the first stab of real concern coursing through him. He yanked his sword from its mount over his fireplace and drew it from the sheath. The sword made a satisfying rasping sound as it left the sheath, like a death rattle.

"No one has seen him."

Ivan nodded, keeping his face calm. "I will find him first."

"My lord, they have guns!"

"And I have curses," Ivan snapped, beginning to lose his temper. "I will find him first before anything else. Escort my sisters."

The servant fled from Ivan's wrath and Ivan followed him at a leisurely pace down the hall, hand automatically going to the jewel at his throat. The amethyst responded to his touch with a flash of chilled light.

The Braginski family magic was known to very few. Tsar Nicholas was one of the only ones who knew of it. And used it to his advantage. The fool probably held out hope that the Braginski family would save his pathetic life when the Bolshevik rebels inevitably decided to kill him. Unless he gave them up in an attempt to save his own life. Both possibilities seemed likely. Ivan, as the new head of house since his grandfather died, could care less whether Nicholas lived or died. It did not matter if the deposed tsar had given them up; no invader had been able to stand up to Ivan's curses and live. Even Rasputin, the old pervert, would not dare to attempt his puny spells against the family.

A few armed guards ran up to him. "Do you require assistance?" the leader asked, his eyes shifting warily around the corridor.

Ivan sneered. "No, I do not, but have you seen Yao at all?"

"Fighting, sir. Near the entrance. Little bastard was holding his own too." The leader chuckled. "I'm certain he will meet us at the tunnels, if he is not already there."

"Good," Ivan said coldly while inwardly he felt a spark of relief. "Go find him and escort him to the tunnels. I am told that the invaders have guns, and no matter how good he is with knives he will be outmatched."

The leader nodded and directed the other guards back down the hall. Ivan continued on alone, the sounds of screaming growing louder as he made his way towards the fighting. A terrified maid suddenly turned the corner and dashed towards him, pursued by a man dressed in all black. He spotted Ivan and halted, a wicked smile crossing his face.

"I found the coven leader!" he screamed over his shoulder, lifting a gun up and onto his shoulder.

Ivan stood in the middle of the hall calmly, sizing him up. _Too easy._

Half a dozen similarly-dressed men ran around the corner, all armed with guns. Their faces suggested they were not planning to take him captive. Ivan sighed and reached up to his throat.

"_Kill him!_" the first man screamed.

Before any of them could fire shots, violet flame shot from the amulet and engulfed the leader. He was incinerated before he had time to let out a fully fledged scream.

Ivan smiled politely. "Who will be next?" he chuckled, looking from one to another of the terrified men. Two dropped their guns and whirled around to flee, but Ivan lazily waved a hand and muttered a single word. They were frozen solid before they could go two feet. Panic engulfed the other four and they scattered. One by one they fell beneath spells. Ivan giggled when the last one was left to slowly burn. The unfortunate man ran around the corner, screaming in agony. He would serve as an example.

Ivan turned at the end of the corridor to find several of his servants lying dead on the cold stone floor. The burning man had fallen to his knees, reduced to screaming pathetically and writhing in agony alone as his skin slowly burned from his flesh. The fighting had stopped as the invaders watched their comrade in horror, no one going near him to help. Not that they could do anything. Ivan considered subjecting them to the same fate, but was grabbed from behind and pulled around the corner. Snarling, he whirled around and came face to face with his older sister.

"Yekaterina," he said coldly. "I was about to take care of the situation."

"There are over a hundred more, besides the ones you've already killed," Yekaterina responded, shooting him an uncharacteristic glare. She was holding her scrying mirror in one hand. Scenes of bloodshed showed across the flat surface. "I've been checking the situation elsewhere in the castle. We are outnumbered and outmatched, Ivan. We must leave or we will die."

Ivan sighed and suddenly a knife whirled past his ear. A gurgled cry sounded behind him and he looked over his shoulder, watching dispassionately as a would-be attacker slumped to the ground with a knife in his throat.

Natalya stepped out from behind her sister and wrenched the knife from the man's throat, a wet squelching sound accompanying it. "As much as I hate to leave a good fight," the blonde murmured, "I have to agree with her for once."

Ivan let out another sigh. "I will find Yao, and then we will go."

"He will meet us at the tunnels or along the way. Toris found him and told him the plan," Yekaterina assured him. "Come with us, brother."

Ivan followed his sisters down the hall towards the basement, passing patches of fighting along the way. Natalya cast an invisibility spell over the three of them. The spell turned eyes away from them, so they made their way unnoticed and unchallenged by the Bolshevik rebels. As long as they moved quietly and did not run into any of the fighters, they could pass unnoticed by the invaders. They continued for a few minutes longer until a man barreled out of a nearby room and slammed into Natalya. Natalya shrieked, breaking her concentration, and the spell slipped. The rebel managed a yell before he was incinerated by Yekaterina, but it was enough to draw more of the invaders to them. Before any of the rebels could fire, a smaller figure darted out of a room. Ivan saw the flash of knives as the smaller man attacked the group of rebels. Within half a minute, all the assailants lay dead.

Ivan grinned widely. "Yao!" he called. "There you are!"

Yao's face was pale and sweaty from exertion, and his chest under his blood-red changshan was heaving. He straightened up and slid his knives back into hidden sheaths concealed by his too-long sleeves. "You seem unaffected," Yao panted, jogging over to the small group. "You are vastly outnumbered."

"Why should I be worried?" Ivan asked, happy smile in place as he drew Yao in for a hug.

Yao escaped the embrace and pointed over Ivan's shoulder. "That."

More screams sounded behind them as Ivan glanced over his shoulder. "Natalya took care of them," he said cheerfully as he observed three more burning bodies.

Yao's face twisted in a mixture of pity and disgust and he averted his golden eyes from the charred bodies. "You're not at all concerned that there are assassins after your life?" he asked flatly, but conceded to hold Ivan's hand as they started moving again. Ivan felt a sensation likened to cool water sliding over him as Natalya renewed her invisibility spell.

"Not particularly," Ivan responded before being quieted by Yekaterina's hiss. He shot a slightly annoyed look at the back of his sister's head before quietly following behind her.

The Braginski estate was filled with chaos and bloodshed. Around every corner there lay dead bodies, some Bolshevik, most servants, guards, and relations of the Braginski's. Attackers dressed in black swarmed in the halls and lurked around corners. The small group had to duck into rooms and into alcoves more than once to avoid passing groups of invaders.

"You've been betrayed," Yao whispered as they ran. "It was that Mongolian bodyguard that you hired. Ganbaatar. He was the one who told the Bolsheviks about your family's magic." Yao stopped for a minute as a frightened maid was dragged into a bedroom by a gleefully grinning man twice her size. The woman's red hair was askew and she clawed desperately at her attacker to no avail. Yao winced and glanced up at Ivan, as if expecting him to do something. When nothing happened and the group kept moving, he continued, "He let them in. I think his plan was to try to steal your amulet, Ivan. I overheard him talking. I tried to kill him, but he moved too fast."

"I see," Ivan murmured. "I will find him later."

"Quiet! Someone's coming!" Natalya hissed.

Shouts reached Ivan's ears, coming from a side corridor. He stared at the end of the corridor they were in. Just a little farther until they got to the tunnels. There, and armed guard was supposed to escort them from the castle through a series of underground tunnels, built to be a maze to confuse even the most persistent pursuit. If they could just reach the tunnels, no one could find them in the maze.

A shout, and then gunfire echoed from the side corridor. Two figures stumbled out of the corridor, and Ivan recognized Eduard and Raivis. Both had terror etched onto their faces. A third figure backed out of the corridor, holding a gun and firing at something. Toris. Toris suddenly swore and chucked his gun down the corridor before turning to flee. Before he could move, answering fire sounded and Toris stumbled against the wall with a yell of pain, clutching his left shoulder.

Natalya screamed, "Toris!" and suddenly the group was exposed again.

Toris looked up at the sound of Natalya's scream. "Run!" he shrieked, stumbling towards the group. "Run!"

Another head poked around the corner. A tall man with long hair in a braid, wearing glasses scanned the group and rested on Ivan before retreating behind the wall. "It's them," Ganbaatar yelled. "Guns out. Show no mercy to these unholy witches!"

"You must run," Toris, being supported now by Eduard, gasped, stumbling up to Ivan. "Give me a weapon and I can hold them off for a few minutes."

"No," Natalya hissed, stepping up to his side. "You'll come with us."

"Just run," Yekaterina ordered as more men started coming around the corner.

Ivan suddenly felt Yao wrench his hand away and then dart out into the middle of the hallway. He produced knives from somewhere and killed two gunmen before anyone could move to stop him. That was when Ganbaatar came around with the corner, wielding a gun himself. He was in Yao's blind spot. Ivan screamed but it was too late. Ganbaatar fired three rounds at Yao. Yao's body jerked and then, as if in slow motion, he fell.

Everything around Ivan seemed to freeze as he stared at Yao's body laying on the cold floor, blood pooling and mixing with black hair from a hole in his head. From his angle, Ivan could see Yao's blank eyes, open in fear, the light in them gone out. Dimly, he heard screaming. He registered that it was his own voice. Stumbling, he ran to where the Chinese man lay in a pool of blood. From the corner of his eye, he saw Natalya and Yekaterina being dragged away by Toris and Eduard, registered the panic on Natalya's screaming face as she reached for him, pale hands clawing at the air, fighting like a wildcat. Then they were gone and the only thing he saw was the lifeless body of the man he loved in front of him.

Gently, his hands lifted the slender body and cradled it against him. Blood was on his hands and he stared at it numbly, uncomprehending, because Yao couldn't be dead. He couldn't. This must all be a dream and he would wake up. Wake up. Wake up…

Cold steel pressed against his temple, bringing him back to reality. He followed the gun pressed against his head to Ganbaatar's smirking face, and anger, relentless, consuming anger flooded his being. But before he could utter a spell, Ganbaatar reached down and tore the amulet away from his neck. Ivan could feel the magic leave him with the amulet, leaving only his rage to fill the void.

Ganbaatar tossed the amulet in the air once and caught it before slipping it in his pocket. "I have what I want. Now I suggest you pursue the others. They're getting away," he called lazily to the men at his back. "I'll take care of this one."

"You'll pay," Ivan whispered, shaking with rage. "You will die a horrible death. Death to you and your descendents! You foul, cowardly, thief!"

"You have no power to curse me," Ganbaatar murmured, patting his pocket. "You'll die, as well as your sisters and the ones protecting them. You'll die same as him." Ganbaatar nudged Yao's body with his foot.

Ivan hissed and drew the body closer to himself to protect it. "No. You'll burn in hell for this. I'll make sure of it," Ivan growled. "You will pay."

"Mhm. We'll see about that," Ganbaatar replied. "Your sisters will be joining you soon, heathen."

"They'll survive. My family's line will carry on. You just wait." Ivan glared at Ganbaatar.

"We'll see about that. See you in hell, witch." With that, Ganbaatar's finger pulled the trigger and blackness consumed Ivan.

* * *

*The Bolsheviks staged a takeover in October of 1917, known as Red October, taking Tsar Nicholas II and his family and putting them under house arrest. In July of 1918, the Bolsheviks shot the Tsar and the royal house to death. This story takes place the February of 1918, between Red October and the execution of the Russian royal family.

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**This story is inspired by **_**The Mummy**_** movies, so it's not much of a spoiler that Yao and Ivan will not stay dead for long, so don't kill me. Next chapter will take place 80 years after these events, in 2008. The story focus will shift and focus on Nyo China (Chun Yan) and Hong Kong (Jia-Long) as well as Nyo Hong Kong (Jia-Li) as Yao's younger sister. Also, Arthur will be introduced. Just so you know and aren't confused.**


	2. Chapter 2

**February 2008**

"Russian airports are worse than American ones!" Chun Yan complained as she strained to see over the taller Northerners surrounding her. The heat from the multiple bodies crushing her made her sweat and ignited her old claustrophobia. Forcing down sickness, she looked back for Jia-Long. The teenager was nowhere to be seen. "Great. He ran off," Chun Yan growled, hoisting her carry-on bag to a more comfortable position on her shoulder.

Seeing a brief opening between bodies, Chun Yan shoved herself out into the open. "Izvinite*," she muttered when an angry women glared at her. Finally out in the open, she breathed a deep breath of cool air and looked around for her younger brother.

"Chun Yan!" a familiar voice yelled and she turned back towards the terminal. Jia-Long was standing by the gates with their great grandmother, letting passengers pass.

Chun Yan walked back again. "I thought you two were right behind me?" she sighed.

"Do you really think Nainai* can handle crowds like this?" he asked flatly, ignoring the look their grandmother gave him.

"This is nothing. I am not senile or anything!" Jia-Li snapped, cuffing her great grandson on the back of his head with a wrinkled hand. "Show respect to your elders, boy!"

Chun Yan giggled as Jia-Long glared. "If Chun Yan can't handle this crowd, you certainly can't," he said firmly. "You may not be senile, Nainai, but you will be a hundred and one next month, and these guys are huge."

Chun Yan rolled her eyes and sighed at the bickering. The two had started arguing at Hong Kong International airport and had kept it up until they landed in St. Petersburg. The two were too much alike; both headstrong and stubborn. Jia-Long had even been named after his great grandmother, a fact that Jia-Li was proud of. That did not stop them from arguing. Chun Yan had just tuned them out and ignored the annoyed stares from the passengers in the seat in front of them. Even if they were speaking in Chinese, they were still loud enough to disturb the people around them occasionally.

The crowds had thinned out by now. Chun Yan was impatient to get moving. The fourteen hour flight had worn her out, and she was ready to relax at her hotel room. She had not gotten any sleep on the flight, or at the stop in Beijing. The other two, likewise, had not had sleep in a while, and everyone was tired.

Jia-Li seemed to sense her granddaughter's mood and leaned down to pick up her carry on. "Let us go now," she said. "The hotel awaits." The old woman managed to pick up her carry on, a large purse, but it was clear she struggled with it. The flight had worn her out, and they had not even gotten their bags yet.

A crisp accent suddenly broke in. "Let me help you, miss," a blonde man with thick eyebrows offered, holding out his hand for Jia-Li's bag politely. He was English.

The three Chinese stared at him for a moment, and he looked uncomfortable. "Um, can you understand me?" he asked nervously.

"We can understand you," Chun Yan told him. "That offer is unusual."

"Ah, I promise I do not intent to steal it," he said, smiling.

"Yes, what could you want with old magazines and books in Chinese?" Jia-Li chuckled, handing the bag to him and taking hold of her cane. "I appreciate the help, sir. My own great grandchildren have no mercy on me. So disrespectful."

Chun Yan turned around and led the way from the terminal. "What are you three doing in St. Petersburg?" the man asked. "My name is Kirkland, by the way. Arthur Kirkland."

"I am Wang Jia-Li," Jia-Li told him. "You may call me 'Nainai,' same as everyone else. This is my great granddaughter, Chun Yan, and my great grandson, Jia-Long. He was named after me." The note of pride entered her wavering voice.

"Yes, we've all heard the story, Nainai," Jia-Long sighed, sounding bored.

"No respect at all," Jia-Li gave a similar sigh, drawing a chuckle from Arthur.

"He looks like he may be in those rebellious years," Arthur grinned at Jia-Li. "Stick through it; it can't last much longer."

"That's what _you_ think," Jia-Long said wickedly. Chun Yan glanced back at the group. They were moving slowly, going to Jia-Li's pace. Arthur was carrying her bag, but she had also taken his arm, and he was leading her through the airport. Chun Yan smiled.

Jia-Li caught her glance. "Do you see this, Chun Yan?" she said. "Now here is a gentleman. This is the type of man I want you to marry." She turned back to Arthur. "Did you know Chun Yan is of marriageable age?" she asked. "She's already done with university; now she just needs to find a nice man like you to take care of her. I think you'll do nicely."

"Nainai!" Chun Yan wailed, putting a hand over her mouth. She turned to Arthur and forced herself to look into his face. "I apologize for her," she said softly. "That was rude."

"Well, the way you are going, you'll never be married!" Jia-Li shot back. "I am only trying to provide for you."

"I can provide for myself," Chun Yan muttered, turning her blushing face away from Arthur. She heard him chuckle. "Why don't you try marrying Jia-Long off?"

"He's still a child."

"Gee, thanks, old woman."

"Watch it, child, I can still pack a punch!"

"Here they go again," Chun Yan rolled her eyes at Arthur. "They are too much alike, you see."

Arthur grinned at her. "I can see that," he chuckled. "You're done with university? What were you studying?"

"Medicine. I want to open a private clinic," Chun Yan replied. "Have you gone to university?"

"Aye. I studying archaeology," Arthur told her. "I'm actually in St. Petersburg for a conference on Russian archaeology."

"Interesting," Chun Yan said politely. They had reached the baggage claim, and she squinted at the signs. "Our flight was this way," she pointed to her right, towards a group of people grouped around a conveyer belt.

"Can you read Russian?" Arthur asked.

"Da. I learned it as a foreign language in university," she explained. "I'm not terribly fluent."

"Fluent enough to be useful," Jia-Long put in. "That's about all she's good for."

Chun Yan glared at him but didn't deign to respond. "Here's yours, Nainai," she murmured as she spotted a familiar red suitcase. Jia-Long snatched it off the belt and set it beside Jia-Li. Chun Yan grabbed hers as it came around and Arthur picked a simple black case off the belt. Luggage acquired, Chun Yan squinted towards the area of the doors. "Exit is this way," she called as Arthur picked up Jia-Li's suitcase, ignoring the old woman's half hearted protesting. Jia-Li soon dissolved into more compliments of Arthur's manners to Jia-Long, who rolled his eyes and plowed ahead.

Outside the double doors, Chun Yan breathed in the fresh air gratefully and glanced around. She noted signs in both Russian and English for taxi services to various hotels.

"What hotel are you three staying in?" Arthur asked Chun Yan.

"Grand Hotel Europe," she replied, signaling a cab, which eagerly drove over.

"That's a bit of luck: I am too," Arthur sounded pleased. "Would you be willing to share a cab? It would be cheaper on all of us."

"I don't mind," Chun Yan replied.

Jia-Li loaded herself into the front of the cab while the bags were being packed into the trunk. Chun Yan found herself crushed between the two boys in the back as the driver asked in heavily accented English where they would like to be driven. Arthur carefully counted out a handful of rubbles* beside her.

It was too hot in the cab, despite the winter weather outside. Russian pop music came blaring over the radio, along with ear-wrenching bursts of static that gave Chun Yan a headache. She steeled herself; it wasn't a long drive to the hotel. Glancing outside the window, Chun Yan vaguely took in the piles of snow thrown to the side of the road. It was a rainy day, with sleet coming down hard.

Jia-Long leaned over. "We should, like, have a camera out," he muttered in Chinese. "Haven't you seen those videos of Russian drivers online? These people are crazy on the road."

Chun Yan shook her head and glanced out of the front window. The driver was doing fine, despite the lurching movement the cab made when it turned.

It was about a ten minute drive to the hotel at the speed they were going. Chun Yan paid for half, and Arthur paid the other half. The cabman unloaded the luggage from the trunk, saluted, then drove off in a frenzy.

A nicely dressed valet greeted people coming into the hotel. He had shoulder-length brown hair and bright green eyes. He smiled at Chun Yan.

"Are you here for the convention?" he asked in English.

"Ah, no, we are just regular guests," she replied.

The man nodded. "Then, you can go right through these doors and the front desk is straight ahead. Wait in one of the left three lines and our staff will help you check in."

"Thank you," Chun Yan glanced at his nametag, "Toris."

"It was my pleasure," Toris replied politely. He glanced at Jia-Li. "Ah, let me get someone to help you with your bags," he said quickly and stuck his head in a little alcove and motioned to something unseen. A few seconds later a young boy emerged from the alcove pushing a luggage cart. "My brother Raivis here will assist you."

Raivis was blonde and looked to be around twelve or thirteen. He was dressed, like his brother, in the uniform of the hotel. He nodded to the group, looking a little sleepy, and started loading the bags onto the cart.

"I'm actually here for the convention," Arthur told Toris. "Where do I go?"

"Then you will go to the far right line. You have a special check in line. The man helping you is named Eduard. I hope you all enjoy your stays here."

Chun Yan thanked Toris again and pushed the doors open for Raivis, whom she couldn't see behind all the luggage piled up. The cart was bigger than he was.

Jia-Li was staring between Toris and Raivis a bit suspiciously, but followed Raivis inside. There was something in her old, wrinkled eyes that confused Chun Yan. Before she could ask Jia-Li anything, the old woman addressed Raivis.

"How old are you, boy?"

Raivis, who had a nervous look on his face, glanced at her. "Thirteen, madam."

"I see. You're rather young to be working. Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Um, I don't go to school anymore. My brother teaches me and I help support the family." Raivis kept his eyes firmly ahead.

"That's a good thing to do. Forgive me, but you look like someone I once knew." Jia-Li cocked her head to the side as she stared at Raivis.

Maybe Chun Yan imagined it, but she thought she saw Raivis swallow nervously.

"Is that so, madam?"

"Yes. We were children together. I only met him once or twice, but we used to play together." Jia-Li smiled. "He worked at a noble's castle, you see, and I only visited a few times. My older brother was friends with the nobleman who owned the castle, and I would sometimes go with him to visit. His name was Raivis too."

"Really? Common name, I guess, in Russia. I'm Latvian, however."

"He told me he was Latvian, not Russian."

"Oh really?" The boy seemed almost to squeak.

"Chun Yan," Jia-Long called. He was at the front of the line, talking to the girl at the desk. Chun Yan grabbed the papers from her purse and walked to the desk to check in. Arthur waved as he went to talk to another blonde man with glasses behind a computer in the last line.

Jia-Li was still talking to a very uncomfortable-looking Raivis when Chun Yan returned. Suddenly, the boy called out "Anya!" signaling a brown-haired girl over. "Anya can take your luggage. I think my brother needs me," Raivis said quietly and gave a bow before practically running back to the entrance. Jia-Li stared after him for a moment.

"That was strange," Chun Yan remarked as Arthur rejoined them. Anya took control of the cart.

"Ah, yeah, apparently Eduard and that little chap were related too," Arthur said, jerking his head towards the blonde man in the line that Arthur had just left. "Poor lad suffers from severe anxiety, so he will sometimes run off like that. He said to apologize if he was rude at all."

"Ah, well, working like this can be very stressful on a young mind," Jia-Li said. "I hope he gets some rest tonight."

Arthur's room was on the floor above theirs. "I am staying in 427 if you need anything," Arthur told Chun Yan, scribbling the room number down on the back of a business card. "Come find me if you need anything. Or if you want to." Arthur flashed Chun Yan a smile as the elevator doors closed in front of his face.

"He was a nice man. You need to find a man like him, Chun Yan," Jia-Li reiterated.

"Nainai, he was English," Chun Yan giggled. "I can't believe you like him."

Jia-Li fluttered her wrinkled hand in the air in dismissal and followed Anya to their rooms.

For the occasion, Chun Yan had booked two rooms, one for herself and Jia-Li, and another for Jia-Long, which connected to theirs by a door in one wall. They had separate bathrooms. Jia-Long had a single, King bed that he happily flopped down on. Jia-Li and Chun Yan each had their own double bed. A clock on the bedside table showed that it was dinnertime.

Chun Yan knocked on Jia-Long's door. "Come in here and we can order room service or something," she called. She heard him grunt in reply.

Jia-Li had set to work laying out the one picture she had of her brother. Chun Yan glanced at it as she had so many times while growing up. Yao sat side by side with Jia-Li on a bench under a tree. Serious eyes glanced out of a youthful face. A hint of a smile played across his mouth. Beside him, Jia-Li had a blank face. He did not look too happy to be dragged out and made to pose for pictures. She leaned against her brother and stared at the camera with her light eyes. Both Yao and Jia-Li had the same golden eyes; eyes that had been passed to Chun Yan. Chun Yan had been told she looked a lot like Yao did. Chun Yan often caught Jia-Li staring absentmindedly at her, as if contemplating how much she looked like Yao.

Jia-Long opened the door. "Okay, I'm digging the bed in there," he crowed. "It's fabulous. I'm going to take a long bath after dinner tonight. Have you seen the bathrooms yet? They're huge!"

"This is a five-star hotel," Chun Yan pointed out. "We need to figure out a plan of action."

Jia-Li stilled in her movements and looked back at her. "You sound as if you are doing something illegal."

Chun Yan sighed. "If the Russian government hasn't returned Uncle Yao's body back to us after all this time, there is something going on that we might have to do something illegal for."

Jia-Li also sighed. "They claim to have never found him. I don't know where he is, but I am not leaving until I find him. Ge-ge's* been away from home long enough."

"I know, Nainai," Chun Yan murmured, placing a hand on Jia-Li's arm. "We'll find him."

"What are you thinking of doing?" Jia-Long asked, rifling through a menu.

"We'll go to the ruins of the Braginski mansion tomorrow," Chun Yan explained. "The castle was said to have been destroyed when the family was killed. They have tours, but they are more like ghost legends. People still believe the Braginski family were some sort of witches or demons or something. Like Rasputin."

"So it's like a ghost tour?"

"It has that angle," Chun Yan sighed and rubbed her head. After the long flight, she was exhausted. She just wanted to eat and then go to sleep. "We'll go tomorrow morning. Nainai can sleep in." When Jia-Li opened her mouth to protest, Chun Yan shook her head quickly. "No. You aren't in any shape to be walking long distances like that. We'll tell you everything that we find, but you should stay here."

Jia-Li frowned. "I want to find my brother," she insisted. "That's the whole reason I'm here! I saved up for so long…"

"I know. But you'll slow us down," Jia-Long put in firmly. "We will tell you everything after we explore the place tomorrow, I promise." Jia-Li picked up the phone. "I'm ordering food. What do you two want to eat?"

Chun Yan sighed and walked to the window, glancing out onto the darkening St. Petersburg streets. They would have to find him. Yao had to be at that castle. They would find him, no matter what.

* * *

*Nainai= grandmother (on father's side)

*rubbles= Russian currency

*Ge-ge= big brother in Chinese

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**The hotel is real: I had to Google hotels in St. Petersburg but I have no idea where they are in regards to the airport. If I did something wrong, please feel free to correct me.**

**So…busy…all the time… Yeah, the joys of being an English major in her senior year.**

**In other news, I will have more time to write this summer, since I will actually be near Wi-Fi this time! That is, after I get back from Italy. I'm studying abroad from May 9-June 19 so I won't be in any state to write anything. (If by chance any of you reading this are from Italy, please tell me the best places to go, because while I will be studying, I will also be wandering around when I am not doing school work!)**

**Stay tuned for more!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I updated this faster than I thought I would. Be proud of me.**

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"As you can see, the castle is in ruins," drawled the tour guide's voice in Russian-accented English. "The invaders burned everything down after making sure the family and staff was dead."

Chun Yan stood on her toes to see over the heads of a group of Japanese tourists interestedly snapping pictures of the burnt-out ruins of the once magnificent Braginski castle. The only things left of the once towering, ominous structure were the foundations and parts of the walls. In one spot a shattered mosaic decorated the ground with splotches of red, purple, and yellow. The interior of the building was roped off "for the public's safety" declared a series of signs spaced out along the perimeter of the castle. The tour guide stood at the front of the group, a young woman who had obviously done this tour many times and didn't have the energy to look excited about a burned-down castle anymore.

"So they killed everyone: even the servants," muttered Jia-Long. "Wonder where the graves are?"

"I'll ask," Chun Yan murmured back before raising her voice to carry towards the front of the crowd. "And where are they all buried?"

The tour guide scanned the group until they landed on Chun Yan. "They are buried in the basement. It was the only part of the castle that survived the fire, obviously because it is underground. There are a series of coffins down in the room where the Bolsheviks executed everyone. They were buried where they fell."

"Is there a way to go down there?" Chun Yan called.

The woman shook her head. "I'm afraid that the whole area was closed off due to safety concerns. The ceiling could cave in at any moment. Plus, there are a bunch of silly superstitions held by many about the Braginski family."

"And those were?" Chun Yan called.

The guide smiled. "Many people believe that the Braginski family was cursed. That they were witches summoning demons and that anyone who went near their graves would be cursed forever. The leader of the family, a young man named Ivan, was rumored to be the devil incarnate."

An Italian couple standing beside Chun Yan crossed themselves, eyes widening.

"Like I said, silly rumors," the guide continued. "However, for that reason and because of safety concerns, that area was closed off to everyone. Better to let the poor victims of the tragedy sleep in peace anyway."

"I have another question," Chun Yan called. The tour guide looked shocked but pleased that anyone was asking her questions. "There was a rumor that there was a Chinese national in the castle when it was taken over. He was killed. Would he be buried down with the family?"

The tour guide raised an eyebrow. "There were no Chinese nationals found with the dead," she said firmly. "The only bodies found were those of the three Braginski siblings and the servants who worked for them."

"But I know one was here during the invasion," Chun Yan insisted. "He was my ancestor."

"Stupid girl," the guide snapped, losing her patience with being argued with. "No Chinese person was here. I know everything about this place. Your ancestor probably ran away and you just thought he was here. Now, let's move on."

Chun Yan stared after the guide as she started moving away. "Well then," she growled.

"She was a bitch." Jia-Long sounded a bit shocked himself.

"I'll say," a familiar voice sounded.

Chun Yan stared as Arthur walked up to them. "What are you doing here?"

Arthur jerked his head towards the tour group. "I'm here with the archaeology program. We are visiting castles today."

"Oh," Chun Yan replied dumbly. "Having fun?"

"Not really," Arthur told her with a shrug. "Did I hear you say you knew someone killed here?"

"My ancestor. My grandmother's older brother," Chun Yan told him as they started to follow the group. "He was here when the invasion happened and Nainai never heard from him again. He wouldn't just leave her like that so when she heard Ivan Braginski died, she knew he was dead too. His body was never returned to China, though."

"That's why we are here," Jia-Long added. "To try to find him. Nainai has wanted her entire life to find him and bring him home, but she never had the chance until her husband died."

"I see. I'm sorry for her," Arthur murmured. "And your family never tried to find him?"

"No. He was…in disgrace," Chun Yan said. "We were never allowed to talk about him, but Nainai would tell us about him. She was only ten when he died."

"He was in disgrace?" Arthur looked confused.

"He, uh, liked men instead of women," Chun Yan explained. "So the family disowned him and kicked him out. Then he went to live in Russia. Jia-Li was the only one who saw him again after the fight. After he died, no one went to claim his body, and they were never contacted about it. It was a touchy subject with the family."

"I see," Arthur replied. "So you think he is buried here with the family?"

"We're going to check," Chun Yan explained. She had spotted a closed off structure inside the walls. It was boarded over with wood and signs in five different languages ordered people to stay away. "That's probably where the stairs to the basement are."

"Are you mad? The ceiling could cave!" Arthur told her as Chun Yan ducked under the tape blocking the inside of the castle off. He glanced at the tour group, which was now a significant distance away. "If you are caught we could be arrested!"

"Oh come on, Englishman, where is your sense of adventure?" Jia-Long grinned at Arthur from the other side of the tape. Arthur glared but ducked under it to grab Chun Yan's arm. "This is madness. Come back over here."

Chun Yan jerked out of his grasp. "We've come all this way. I'm not leaving until I find out if my great uncle is here or not."

"And what if he is? What then?" Arthur growled as Chun Yan approached the boarded up place. It was just a simple trap door-not even locked. "Are you just going to take his corpse back to the hotel? You're mad."

"We'll ask the Russian government for it back. Nainai is prepared to pay to have him brought back," Chun Yan told Arthur. She pulled back on the door and it creaked open. Musky air floated out of the hole, revealing a staircase leading into the ground. "Here it is." Chun Yan reached into her Hello Kitty day pack and pulled out a flashlight.

"You even brought torches?" Arthur stared.

"And lock picks. We didn't expect it to be this easy," Jia-Long said, pulling out another flashlight. "We overestimated the Russians. Are you coming or not?"

Arthur glanced back towards the group dwindling in the distance. "Damn it."

"Excellent!" Jia-Long grinned and descended the stairs first. Chun Yan followed him.

The air felt heavy as the three descended the stairs. The stairs had obviously been closed off for years. Chun Yan wrinkled her nose at the stale air. Dust covered the stairs like a blanket and old, barren cobwebs adorned the walls. The dust was undisturbed.

"This is creepy," Jia-Long said, sounding a bit delighted. "I bet there are ghosts and stuff down here. I bet the ghosts of the Braginski family are guarding this place, waiting to curse whoever comes down here."

"And you sound happy about that," Arthur said flatly.

"He likes scary movies," Chun Yan told Arthur.

"Besides, you're still coming down with us," Jia-Long pointed out. "I bet you wanted to see the graves for yourself and are just using our excuse for coming down here."

"Well, as an archaeologist, this sort of thing does interest me," Arthur muttered.

"Exactly. Although, I don't think our excuse would cover you."

"What excuse? That you are finding your ancestor?"

"No. If we get caught, we can always use the 'we don't speak English' excuse," Chun Yan giggled.

"We Chinese, we no speak Engrish," Jia-Long said in a fake Chinese accent before chuckling.

"And you expect they will believe that?" Arthur asked.

"Well, no one comes down here anyway. We won't get caught," Chun Yan assured Arthur. "We're here."

The small group had reached the bottom of the stairs. They were in a huge room with a high ceiling. Stone coffins lined the wall of the far side of the room, stacked three high. Dust covered everything.

"Jackpot," Jia-Long said with a fist pump.

Chun Yan caught Arthur's look. "I don't know what goes through his head either," she murmured. Arthur grinned, green eyes sparkling.

Chun Yan walked to the far side of the room and shined her light on the first column of coffins that she saw. "Looks like these are servants," she called to Jia-Long on the far side of the wall.

"Same here," Jia-Long called back.

Slowly, Chun Yan worked her way along the wall towards the center. Jia-Long did the same on his side.

"These are all servants," Chun Yan growled when she and her brother met in the middle.

"If you're looking for the Braginski's, I think I found them," Arthur called. He had his cell phone out and shined the light on a coffin on the opposite side of the room.

Chun Yan glanced at Jia-Long and hurried over to where Arthur stood in front of a massive stone coffin. This one was different. As she approached, Chun Yan could see that thick iron chains wrapped around the entire coffin.

"Looks like they were afraid something would get out," Jia-Long said in a low voice, sounding delighted. "Bet this is Ivan."

"No. Natalya," Chun Yan read the Russian on top of the coffin. A crucifix and other religious symbols adorned the top of the coffin. "And yes it looks like they were afraid of some magic curse or something."

"There are a couple other coffins like that," Jia-Long said, flashing his light around the room.

Chun Yan moved to the next coffin, which had more chains than Natalya's. "Here is Ivan's," she called. "It has what looks like a Bible verse about Christ beating the devil. Can't really make it out, but I can see his name alright." More religious imagery was inscribed on the coffin.

"This must be Yekaterina," Jia-Long called. "More crucifixes, although it's more like Natalya's. They obviously thought Ivan was the real threat."

"Yeah," Chun Yan said absently. "But where is Yao?"

"You don't think he is in Ivan's coffin, do you?" Arthur asked. "They might've buried them together."

"Wanna check?" Jia-Long grinned.

Chun Yan glared at him. "Be serious."

"Well, that's the only way we will know for sure," Jia-Long said. He left Yekaterina's coffin and wandered over to the far wall. "Maybe there is another room somewhere? With more graves? Maybe he is there."

"I don't see another door down here," Chun Yan called, flashing her light around the room. She went back to the first column of coffins. Maybe there was something she missed…

Jia-Long suddenly yelped, and there was a loud crash. Chun Yan whirled around. "Jia-Long?!" she yelled, running over to where she had seen him last. A great cloud of dust concealed the spot. "Jia-Long?!" Arthur ran over beside her.

"I'm alright. Just tripped," Jia-Long called, voice sounding strange. "And I found something."

"What is it?" Chun Yan called, coughing as she breathed in dust.

"I found Yao."

"Really?!" Chun Yan shrieked, running through the dust cloud. She almost tripped over Jia-Long, who was staring at another coffin, eyes wide and face dumbstruck. He had fallen through the wall into another room.

"I think I'm psychic or something, because I totally called that," Jia-Long told her.

The dust had cleared, and Chun Yan could see the inscription on the coffin. She stared at the Chinese symbols spelling Yao's name in almost disbelief. "I can't believe we found it so easily."

"I found it, and it wasn't pleasant falling through a wall," Jia-Long pointed out.

Chun Yan ignored him and took in Yao's coffin. After all this time, Jia-Li would finally be able to bring her brother home. He would go home…

"Hey, Chun Yan, there's another coffin here," Arthur called. Chun Yan tore her eyes from her great uncle's tomb and walked to where Arthur was standing by another stone grave. "I can't read Russian. Whose is it?"

Chun Yan blinked and read the letters. Then paused, sure she had misread. "That can't be right," she murmured.

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked. Jia-Long got up from the floor and drifted over.

Chun Yan glanced at Arthur and found his green eyes focused on her face. "The name is Ivan Braginski," she said. "But, Ivan is out there." She pointed out of the hole in the wall towards the other room. "The Braginski siblings are buried out there."

"Do you guys notice anything strange about this room?" Jia-Long murmured.

"Like what?" Chun Yan asked, glancing around.

"Look over Yao's grave. And Ivan's."

Chun Yan stared at the wall above Yao's grave. There was nothing there except a vase of what looked like peonies on the wall. She stepped closer. They were definitely peony flowers. "Wait," Chun Yan gasped. "Those flowers are fresh!"

"And there are fresh sunflowers over Ivan's grave!" Arthur said.

"This room isn't dusty, either," Jia-Long pointed out. "These graves are well-kept. Someone has been here recently."

"Fantastic job," a strange voice said.

Chun Yan shrieked and whirled around. A tall blonde girl stood in the opening in the wall, staring at them, a knife in her hand and a gun in a holster at her side. Her blue eyes were narrowed and her teeth bared in a snarl. Jia-Long yelped and Arthur gasped. Out of the corner of her eye, Chun Yan saw Jia-Long stumble to the side and put his hand on Yao's tomb for balance.

As soon as Jia-Long touched the tomb, a great roar filled the room and Jia-Long was lifted into the air and thrown from the tomb as if by magic. He hit the opposite wall hard and slumped over with a groan. Chun Yan screamed as a dark aura seemed to invade the room and a faint rumble sounded from nowhere.

The blonde girl glanced at Ivan's tomb. "What have you done?" she hissed, taking a step toward Chun Yan.

"Get them out of here!" another voice yelled. Another blonde woman appeared and stood beside the first. "Take them through the tunnels. I'll handle Ivan. Go now!"

The first girl glanced at the second and suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Chun Yan's arm, wrenching her out of the room. The girl was strong.

Chun Yan struggled briefly before she felt cold steel pressed against her temple: the barrel of the gun. She froze and Arthur yelped.

"Help the boy up and come with me. Now!" the girl yelled when Arthur didn't move immediately. Arthur scrambled over to Jia-Long and pulled him up, dragging him out of the room while Jia-Long leaned on him for support.

"Get in front of me and don't you dare struggle or I'll put a bullet through the girl's brain before you can blink," the girl snarled. Her grip on Chun Yan's arm was like iron. Chun Yan winced as the girl shook her firmly. "Now, go straight and go through the door you see there. I'm watching and right behind you."

"Who are you?" Chun Yan gasped.

The taller girl wrenched her arm behind her back in an uncomfortable position before pushing her to get her moving. "Your worst nightmare," she growled. "You've gotten yourself into a mountain of trouble, girl. Start praying."


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm on a roll with this.**

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Chun Yan kept her focus directly ahead as she walked through the narrow tunnels. They had been walking for close to fifteen minutes in almost complete silence. The only sound was the shuffling of feet and the occasional grunt of pain from Jia-Long. The teenager had recovered enough to walk on his own, and kept throwing worried glances back at Chun Yan. The blonde girl was digging the barrel of the gun into Chun Yan's back.

"You still haven't told us who you are. Do you work for the government?" Chun Yan asked over her shoulder.

There was no response from the blonde other than a brusque "Turn left at the end of the tunnel," directed at Arthur, who was in the lead. He had Chun Yan's flashlight in his hand, lighting the way.

Five minutes of silence later, they finally came to a dead end. "You in the lead," the blonde ordered, "reach up and knock three times hard on the ceiling above your head. Wait three seconds, then knock twice hard." When Arthur hesitated, she barked "Do it now!" and jostled Chun Yan for emphasis. Arthur immediately reached up and knocked loudly three times. Judging by the sound, he was knocking on a wooden door, yet the wood looked like stone. After pausing, he knocked twice hard.

A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Chun Yan tentatively glanced over her shoulder. The blonde was watching the door intently, blue eyes narrowed. "Do it again," she ordered, looking at Arthur.

Just as Arthur raised his hand to knock again, the concealed door swung open, and a man with brown hair peeked down from the opening. His eyes widened as he saw Arthur. "What," he began, but the blonde cut him off.

"Help them up, Toris," she called, pushing Chun Yan forward so that the man could see her. Chun Yan squinted up at the man. He looked vaguely familiar…

The man stared at the blonde for a few seconds, but put down a rope ladder. "Come on up," he said, reaching a hand down to Arthur.

Arthur backed up. "You mean to kill us, don't you?" he glared back at the woman.

"We are not going to hurt you," the man called soothingly. "Come on up."

"Go on," the woman snapped. Her grip tightened on Chun Yan's arm, making Chun Yan wince in pain. Arthur noticed Chun Yan wince and then turned around and climbed up the ladder after handing the flashlight to Jia-Long. When Arthur got to the top, the brunette helped him into the room above the trap door before reaching down to help Jia-Long.

When it was Chun Yan's turn, the woman pushed her forward and let go of her arm. "Go on," she ordered, keeping the gun pointed at Chun Yan.

Shaking, Chun Yan started to climb the short ladder. When she reached the top, Toris helped her over into the room.

She was in a spacious room with a set of stairs to her right. The room was sparsely decorated, and through an open doorway Chun Yan could see what looked like a kitchen. A door was to her left, and the window showed that it led outside. Arthur pulled Chun Yan to her feet and jerked his head towards the door. They would have to make a run for it. Jia-Long suddenly dashed towards the door and tried the handle. It was locked.

There was a bell-like laugh from behind Chun Yan. The blonde woman had climbed through the hole and was staring amused at Jia-Long. "You're not going anywhere. Don't bother."

"You can't just keep us here," Chun Yan snapped. "There are several people waiting for us, and if we don't show up, they will call the authorities!"

"The authorities do not know where this house is. No one does," the woman snapped back. She handed the gun to Toris. "Besides, we are not going to hurt you."

"You pulled a gun on me!" Chun Yan growled.

"To get you to behave," the woman shot back. "Besides, it wasn't loaded."

"It wasn't?" Chun Yan asked.

The woman took the gun back, pointed it above her head, and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. "I wasn't planning on hurting you or killing you. I just needed to make sure you didn't fight me. Or run off. If you get lost in those tunnels, you aren't ever getting out again." The woman grinned. "That was their purpose, after all. No one can find this place, and whoever tries will get lost and die. We're quite safe here."

"Who are you that you need protection like that?" Jia-Long asked. "Are you a criminal or something?"

"And if I am?" the woman was still grinning. "What can you do?"

"Listen, lady, my sister and I both know kung-fu," Jia-Long snapped. "Don't mess with us."

All of a sudden, there was a squeak form the area of the kitchen. A little boy with tousled brown hair peeked out from the doorway, half hidden. Suddenly, Chun Yan recognized him.

"I know you!" she cried. "You're that little boy from the hotel!" She whirled back to Toris. "And you work there too! I saw you yesterday! You showed us where to go and he," she pointed at the kid, "took our bags!"

The boy groaned. "I'm not intoxicated enough for this," he muttered, stepping out from behind the door. He had an opened bottle of vodka in one hand.

Chun Yan stared the kid, speechless. "You drink? At your age?" She shook her head. "No, that's not important." She turned back around to face Toris and the blonde woman. "Just who are you in the first place? What happened down there in the tomb? And why was my ancestor's grave hidden like that?"

Toris winced. "I was afraid you two were related," he murmured.

"What do you mean by that?" Jia-Long asked. "You sound like you know Yao."

The blonde flipped her long hair over her shoulder. "None of you would understand."

"Try me," Chun Yan snarled.

The blonde took a step towards her and Toris grabbed her hand. "Calm down," he murmured.

The blonde's ice blue eyes were fixed on Chun Yan. "You want to know who I am? I am Natalya Braginski, third child in the Braginski family."

Chun Yan just stared. "No, you're not," she said simply. "Natalya is dead."

"Do you mean you're related to her? Like a descendant?" Arthur asked.

The blonde shook her head. "I told you that you would not understand," she murmured. "I am not a descendant. I am Natalya Braginski. The woman you saw with me down in the crypt was my elder sister, Yekaterina Braginski."

"No," Chun Yan snapped. "I saw both Natalya and Yekaterina's graves in the crypt. You cannot be them! They died almost a hundred years ago!"

"Damn, girl, looking good," Jia-Long said. "For an old lady."

Natalya rolled her eyes. "I am Natalya. I am still alive due to a preservation spell cast by my brother before he died."

"Preservation spell?" Arthur asked. "You expect us to believe all that bollocks about the Braginski family being witches?"

Natalya took another step forward, standing right in front of Chun Yan and Arthur. "Don't, Natalya," Toris said, reaching for her. Natalya raised a hand right in front of Chun Yan's face. Chun Yan saw a flash of a golden gem at her throat before Natalya snapped her fingers.

Fire exploded in midair, right in front of Chun Yan's face. She screamed and leapt back into Arthur, who yanked her out of the way, lifting her into the air and backing away swiftly. The fire seemed to retreat and disappeared into Natalya's gem. The blonde was smirking.

"I haven't done that in so long! That reaction was priceless," she giggled.

"How did you do that?" Jia-Long yelled. He had backed up against the far wall.

"Like you said: you called us witches, right?" Natalya asked, cocking her head to the side. "Don't witches use magic?"

"So all that was true?" Chun Yan asked. "And Ivan was the devil himself?"

Natalya's face darkened. "No. He was not. They called us demons. Can we help something we are born with?"

"How can you all still be alive?" Chun Yan whispered. "After all this time? Is Ivan still alive, too?"

Natalya shook he head. "Brother is dead. Right before he died, I think he unknowingly tried to cast a protection spell on us, to keep us safe. But it seems to have turned into a preservation spell. We have remained unchanged since he died. Look."

Natalya took her knife out of its sheath at her hip and sliced a thin line across her palm. Holding up her hand, the wound closed in front of Chun Yan's eyes, the red beads of blood seeming to flow back into her palm. "We can't die, and our injuries heal, some faster than others."

"My brothers and I were caught up in the spell too," Toris murmured. "We can't die either. We've all lived here ever since the invasion and Ivan's death."

"Why here? Why all this time?" Arthur asked.

"Because we were hunted," another voice said. Yekaterina was clambering up out of the trap door. "Next time, remember to close that," Yekaterina told Toris, who nodded. Yekaterina adjusted her blouse before walking up to Chun Yan. "I'm sorry Natalya pulled a gun on you. I hope you're not hurt," she said, then glanced at Jia-Long. "And you? That was a nasty hit."

"I'm fine," Jia-Long assured her. "What was that, anyway? Another spell?"

"In a way," Yekaterina said. "More of a…remnant."

"A remnant?" Arthur asked.

"Of a spell. Whenever someone touches Yao's grave, Ivan…reacts," Yekaterina said.

"Whoa, wait, you said that Ivan was dead!" Jia-Long told Natalya. "Which is it?"

Natalya looked tired. "It's complicated," she replied. "Even though he is dead, his magic remains. I guess it is a protective magic, but he was always so possessive of Yao. He didn't want anyone touching him. It was Ivan's magic that threw you from the tomb. Remnants of a protective spell lasting even now."

"You said that you guys were being hunted?" Jia-Long asked Yekaterina. "By whom?"

"By the same people who attacked us. They knew that Natalya and I had escaped. They knew the unfortunate people that are in those coffins are not us. They could not admit to the new government that they had failed, so they hunted us in secret, even passing the tradition to their children. I suspect that we are still being hunted today." Yekaterina glanced at Raivis, who had stood quietly watching the scene and taking sips from the vodka bottle. "Could you go make them some tea, dear? I expect they will need it."

Raivis nodded, then looked at Chun Yan. "That really was Jia-Li yesterday?" he asked quietly. "She's your grandmother?"

"Great grandmother, and yes," Chun Yan told him.

The boy smiled. "We used to play together when she would visit her brother," he said. "You look like him, you know."

"That's what I've been told," Chun Yan said.

"It's your eyes," Toris mused. "You both have the same eyes. That same golden color. It's lovely."

"Thank you," Chun Yan relied.

"I'm happy that Jia-Li is still alive, though," Toris said brightly. "We were afraid that she had died ages ago. I never expected her to still be alive or to even recognize us! She was only here a handful of times!"

"That woman never forgets anything," Jia-Long said.

"By the time we felt safe enough to semi come out of hiding, we were afraid she was dead," Yekaterina explained. "She deserves to know what happened. We could not risk trying to contact her, you see. She herself might have been watched, simply for associating with us. She could have been in danger had we tried to contact her. She deserves to know what happened to her brother."

"That's what we came here for," Chun Yan said.

Yekaterina squared her shoulders. "Well, then, let us bring her here. We can explain in person what happened, and she can visit her brother."

"She'd be over a hundred by now!" Raivis protested. "She could never walk that far!"

"Oh trust me, she can," Chun Yan giggled. "You'd be surprised. She's as stubborn and unmovable as iron."

"And, she has been waiting her entire life for the chance to come here and find out what happened to Yao," Jia-Long added. "She'll be fine."

"Then we shall bring her here immediately," Yekaterina insisted. "Toris, get the car. I'll go with you over there to bring her. Raivis, please make some tea for our guests. I think we have some leaves for green tea left." Yekaterina touched the door handle, and there was a click of the lock opening. "We'll leave immediately. The sooner Jia-Li knows, the better."

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**Man, I'm on a roll with this. I'll try to have another chapter out soon, but I'm about to hit the busiest part of my semester, so I don't know when I'll have the next one out. I have an outline, so that should help a lot.**

**Thanks for all the nice reviews! They have been really encouraging! It helps to know that people actually read my stories and want me to continue. Thanks again!**

**In other news, my apartment mates are screaming at the television. I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight =_=**


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